For Our City – Maricopa, and the Weekend of Remembrance

Among the things I remember about the week following 9-11, was the national unity we felt. Following that terrible day of ignorant hate and inspiring heroism came this understanding; “We are one nation; we are together; and we share a future.”

In “For Our City – Maricopa” we can see an example of our shared future. On Saturday, in a gathering of educators, business leaders, priests, pastors, and elected city leaders, a group of cooperative, participating citizens worked to make their home community stronger. Each participant had a busy, full life. Yet each one made time to meet to invest a couple of hours in the future of Maricopa. They met new neighbors and talked and planned ways “For Our City – Maricopa” could make a difference in their city.

Pastor Kevin Hartke, Chandler, Arizona City Council Member, spoke about some of the ways For Our City – Chandler has impacted his hometown. “We have seen the people of Chandler eager to be involved. Each year the level of participation has grown. This year, we have more neighbors helping neighbors than last year and the number of outreaches has also increased. School back-pack drives are more effective, weeds are pulled and removed from the yards of vacant houses, houses where elderly live are being painted—in fact,” he said, “We have more people who want to help paint than we have houses to paint! It’s a great problem to have!”

Mayor Tony Smith shared his passion for the city he serves. As Maricopa’s Mayor, his vision for “For Our City” is to enhance the sense of community that already marks Maricopa. “People move here for be part of an active city of neighbors. We already have a strong commitment to community and ‘For Our City-Maricopa’ strengthens those connections.”

Then, to demonstrate the connections For Our City fosters, we broke into small discussions. In one of the groups, in less than 15 minutes, the group identified a needed message for October’s Stagecoach Days, on how citizens can support drug interdiction to combat trafficking in the region. They also discussed an approach to enhance mutual support between school districts. In just a few minutes, this group had clarified two opportunities, one for action next month, and one as a theme for several months to come. Both would make Maricopa stronger and enrich the lives to the families living there.

Then one of the participants said the most amazing thing. “Let’s not let this end here,” he said. “Let’s keep talking.”

That expresses what For Our City is all about, and how it works to empower communities. If we persist in communicating and in staying connected with each other, we can solve the challenges we face. Together we can make a better future our reality.

Ten years ago, two towers collapsed. Today, communities stand together to take action to protect and improve their hometowns. New towers of engagement and action mean thousands live better as a result.

Inez Ramirez, is volunteer Director of FOC-Maricopa. She can be reached at Inez@care-inc.org.